EU’s role in curbing piracy shows the risks of Brexit, Emily Thornberry says

Britain’s membership of the EU is crucial to halting the terror posed by piracy, Emily Thornberry said today.

The shadow Defence Secretary said the “havoc and fear” caused by piracy off the coast of Somalia could not have been tackled by Britain alone and highlighted the role of the EU in preventing further at-sea attacks.

Speaking at a speech at the Joint Forces Command headquarters in Northwood, near London, home to the EU-led counter-piracy mission, Thornberry praised the work done by the EU’s Operation Atalanta, which prevents robbery of ships, as well as protecting vulnerable vessels, like those from the World Food Programme.

The number of pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa fell to zero last year after hitting a peak of 176 in 2011.

Thornberry praised the role of the EU mission in curbing the threat posed by pirates.

“‘We all remember the havoc and fear being caused by piracy just a few years ago, including British citizens being taken hostage. The potential economic damage to the UK in terms of lost trade, higher insurance and other costs was huge.

“But now, as a result of Operation Atalanta, we have gone well over a year without an attack, and more than three years without any ships or crews being seized.

“That is not something we could have achieved on our own, and it is a powerful reminder that it is only through collaboration and cooperation with our European partners that we can tackle the shared international challenges we face.

“For those who believe we could protect our interests outside the EU, I ask them to look at this incontrovertible proof of the vital difference that EU cooperation makes to the achievement of our defence objectives, and urge them to think again.”

Thornberry has previously criticised the Conservative government for “cutting our own army so drastically” and reducing Britain’s capacity to participate in international military operations, particularly those with very short notice.